Teams are adaptive systems

Teams are adaptive systems. Workers adapt to the work environment their manager gives them.

If an employee’s work environment rewards results, he will produce results. If it rewards efforts (regardless of results), he will produce efforts. If it doesn’t reward results, he will adapt by lowering its contribution.

This is natural and rational. Everyone responds to their environment – plants, animals, and of course, people. Few behaviors observed at a large workplace are deliberate decisions of those performing them. Most are unconscious rational adaptations to their work environment. Thankfully, as a manager, you have some control over it. You can give your workers an environment that invites the adaptations that are good for your team’s long-term future.

Promising rewards alone doesn’t count. Nor does awarding them once per year. What matters is the immediate feedback that the work environment gives to those producing results. Is it making him feel better? Or is it teaching it the lesson that the next time, he should not care as much?

For example, the promise of bonuses and promotions might get some workers to raise their performance temporarily. However, if the bonus or promotion doesn’t come soon, they will learn the lesson that performance isn’t worth the effort. A sincere thank you awarded as soon as the employee produces a good result reinforces good behavior much more than a promotion after two years. This is not to say that bonuses and promotions aren’t necessary. They are, if you want to retain high performers, or be a fair human. But they are not sufficient – immediate feedback is necessary too.

As a manager, you should frequently ask yourself the following question:

How will my team adapt to my actions? Which behaviors do my actions make more likely in the future?

By the way, I’ve written a full book on the concept of teams as adaptive systems. What I just wrote above summarizes its first chapter. The rest describes the simple practical actions that managers can take to make their teams adapt in the desired direction. You can find it here.